Eating Bass

I have eaten bass and they are good.

My question is . Most bass fishermen/women always catch and release. But, Do you ever keep any to eat? (as long as you obey the slot law)

Not often. Rather eat Crappie and Blue Gill.

Only when I plan to cook them right away. Can't beat them fresh.

Heard they are good. I never have. Only way that I think I would is if I was on a trip to Mexico where the numbers are crazy, but I am not even sure what the rules are there.

My favorite freshwater fish to eat. Too lazy to clean them most of the time.

I prefer bass over crappie and catfish. Rarely keep them anymore to lazy.

Yes, they are delicious! Rarely though, and never over 2.5 pounds

Eat em by the 100's

taste like woping crane

Easy to clean and taste great!! Now that I'm married I keep a small keeper(anything over 2.5 lbs is just too much for us and 1 meal) once in a while to throw on the grill. Nice white flesh and the skin comes off easily while filleting it. Sure beats cleaning catfish imo!

Anything over 2lbs and under 6lbs... Don't need many of them to have a good fish fry.

Like I always say... If you take bass from nice hot Texas water and then... Soak it in Franks Red hot for a few hours, douse it in salt and pepper, dip it in egg, then roll it in shore lunch, then fry it in a pan with some onion, garlic, peppers and butter, and then kick back a few shots of whiskey it tastes darn near as good as crappie, bluegill, perch, or walleye!

HAHA

The last time I tried it was 05-06. Caught a 3 from a farm pond that didn't make it. When I ran my knife through it I discovered worms so I trashed it. I don't subscribe to the "cook the worms out" philosophy.

White Bass,Bluegill,and Crappie for me!

Small spots make the best fish tacos! Soft corn tortillia, some cole slaw, then top with sriracha.

I only eat LA bass

Absolutely agree. I'd rather eat small spots than any crappie that ever swam. We keep handful of small LMB once or twice a year and they rival any fish that swims in Texas. Folks that tell you that bass aren't a great eating fish, either don't know how to cook fish or have never eaten bass tat someone that knows how cooked. Bass need nothing more than cornmeal, salt and hot grease. If one has to have it soaked on anything or disguised with various seasoning mixes, the truth is, that person really doesn't like fish.

Lower Alabama?

The last thing I want to do after a day on the water is go home and clean fish. I already have to clean the boat, ice chest, and myself.

Bass is good. Crappie is better.

Bass cooked with white cornmeal is delicious !! Sadly tho I haven't had a good meal of bass since I went in the Army back in 72' . Living in W.Texas isn't so good when you want bass for supper .

You bet, fried.
Keep em under 14”, delectable.

Spots, if the crappie aren't biting. Soft sided LM go back to pollute to water.

Big difference between a spot and largemouth to me. I know on Rayburn and the Angelina river below the dam, the spots are about as good and clean as any crappie.

It’s a Sunfish so yes. Not too often though. I never get the ‘Bass taste nasty, Crappie are better’ crowd... They’re both Sunfish and great table fare.

I like to eat catfish and fish for them a couple times a year for freezer fish. The rest of the time I’m catch and release bass.

I’ll keep a couple of 2-3 pounders once in a while to grill.
Leave the skin and scales on and fillet it. Cook skin side down with a little bitter and lemon. It is as good as fish can get.

Lots of people on here like to troll for bass,...

I love eating bass! I usually practice catch and release but once in a while I’ll keep, clean and fry them up.

An old man at the marina recently asked me why I throw my fish back in the lake and I replied because I had plenty of bass in the freezer. I also mentioned that I like to eat them sometimes but not my favorite fish to eat. He said "son you are not cooking them correctly then". I asked "how do you cook them?" He said to filet the fish and place on a board, pre heat oven to 300 deg, add pinch of salt, lemon pepper, pinch of Tabasco, and place in oven for 20 mins. When done, throw away the fish and eat the board! Ha! Ha! Heard that joke a long time ago....maybe Jerry Clower.

Seriously, I enjoy eating fresh bass fried but rarely keep any these days.

I ended up buying a stand up freezer just to hold the fish I catch. While I've eaten bass and they do taste good fried, I have red snapper, grouper, tuna, mahi and AJ in the freezer. With so many delicious salt water fish to eat, these days bass are just catch and release for me.

I have discovered that the fillets blacken nicely with butter and Zatarain's or other blackening spice, so I will occasionally keep a couple for my wife and me to enjoy.

All fish taste like dirt.

Catch and release.....”I’ll have the all you can eat shrimp, please”

I thought it was more like Eagle...

Growing up in the 60s my father was a bass fisherman and in those days nobody even thought about “catch and release”. We ate bass 3 or 4 nights a week. My mother came from an English family were the only spices they new of were salt and pepper. Have you ever been to an English food restaurant? No, because there food sucks. I eaten a life time supply of baked bass. For me it’s catch and release.

I think they taste lousy compared to crappie or saltwater fish both of which i usually have so I toss them back.

I wonder when someone will invent an arrow that will enable bow hunters to hunt with tranquilizer darts instead of broad heads.

100% Catch and release is for Team Ropers and Calf Ropers.

I keep enough legal little guys for my wife and I to have a fresh meal that night. LM are tasty if you know what you are doing.

What about steer wrestlers?

I cull out 2lbs and below from my 3 acre pond each spring and fall. They are great fried or baked!

I prefer Crappie or Bream. We have access to a private lake that needs the Bass number lowered so we will have a tournament and keep enough fish to feed about 30 people. Have the weigh in at 2:00 PM, release the large ones and filet the smaller ones. Move to the park, fire up the fish cookers and fry away. Fresh is the best.

Grew up eating them. Also had access to some sand pits at one time that were way over populated. You could catch 100 or so 12 inchers in an hour or so every day. Stocked alot of local ponds and ate plenty. Pan grilled with a little butter and lemon is pretty good but hard to beat salt/pepper and corn meal.

I'll occasionally clean a few under slot fish to eat. But with the high mercury level warnings for LMB, I don't eat them often.

Couldn't agree more!

5 pound flathead is hard to beat. Always a wonderful bonus. Reminds me of running lines as a kid back in Lampasas.